Lawyerist Podcast Deepfakes, Data, and Duty: Navigating AI Ethics in Law, with Merisa Bowers
Oct 9, 2025
Merisa Bowers, Loss Prevention and Outreach Counsel at the Ohio Bar Liability Insurance Company, dives into the ethical dilemmas posed by artificial intelligence in legal practice. She discusses how deepfakes complicate verification processes and the potential risks from unregulated chatbots creating unintended attorney-client relationships. Merisa emphasizes the importance of maintaining client confidentiality and transparency when using AI tools. She also offers practical strategies for lawyers to safeguard ethics while embracing evolving technologies.
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Deepfakes Shift Diligence Standards
- Deepfakes raise duty-of-diligence and competence issues for lawyers beyond basic authenticity checks.
- Attorneys must verify recordings against supporting records rather than relying on a visual or audio sniff test.
Wait For Full Clearing On Trust Checks
- Wait for funds to fully clear both institutions before acting on large trust deposits.
- Do not accept 'posted' status as proof of clearance when a transaction feels suspicious.
Bots Applied For Jobs To Breach Systems
- Zach and Merisa describe bots applying for jobs and organized cybercrime using fake applicants to gain system access.
- Attackers then use real email domains to send scam invoices and siphon payroll or funds.